Earleybird Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted enthusiastically by staff as they arrive at the warm and welcoming pre-school. The manager and staff have high expectations for children and are committed to providing an inclusive environment. The key-person system is securely in place and staff have a good knowledge of the children in their care. Children build warm, trusting relationships with their key person and show good levels of emotional well-being.

Children demonstrate a positive attitude to their learning and behave very well. Their emotional well-being is well supported. They manage their own feelings effectively and take part in activities with enthusiasm and excitement. Children demonstrate good levels of resilience as they approach each opportunity with a can-do attitude and try again if they struggle the first time. For example, when they struggle to put on their coats, staff reassure them that they can do it and praise them when they succeed. Children happily share and take turns, play alongside others very well and are extremely polite. They demonstrate respect for the staff and their peers.

Children make good progress in their learning. They benefit from a good range of activities to support their balance and coordination. In the garden, children walk across wooden planks and hold out their arms to balance. Younger children hold on to a member of staff's hand for support when necessary.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The dedicated manager is supported well by her strong staff team. Together, they know the children very well and assess their development precisely. The curriculum is ambitious and designed well to prepare children for the next stages in their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. The manager uses additional funding to provide one-to-one time with staff. Children with SEND are given high levels of attention and the support they need. The manager works closely with the special educational needs coordinator, other professionals and parents. Together, they put targeted plans in place to help children with SEND to progress in their development.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Home visits enable staff to gather information about children before they start attending, including what they know and can do. This enables staff to plan for children's learning from the outset. Parents comment that they are extremely satisfied with the service provided and with the good progress that their children are making.
• Overall, children benefit from many opportunities to support their communication and language skills. Throughout activities, staff provide a commentary, model good conversational skills and introduce new vocabulary. Most children are vocal and repeat familiar words and phrases in response to the staff's warm interactions. However, staff are not always quick to identify when the quieter and less confident children need further support to engage fully in their play, learning and conversations.
• Staff successfully promote children's good health and well-being. They teach them about good hygiene practices and ensure they benefit from regular physical activity, for example through weekly visits from a football coach. Children enjoy healthy snacks and learn about the importance of oral health through enjoyable activities. For example, they practise brushing teeth on toy dinosaurs and crocodiles and talk about the importance of visiting the dentist.
• Staff use their interactions with children to support, guide and extend children's learning. For example, when children identify a koala bear in the role play area, staff ask them where these animals come from. When children cannot answer, staff explain that they come from Australia. Staff extend children's knowledge by using a globe to show them Australia. Children use a magnifying glass to enlarge the country and excitedly tell staff that they have found a koala bear on the globe.
• Leaders monitor staff regularly and observe them in their role. They make suggestions as to how staff can improve their practice. Overall, leaders plan targeted training opportunities to help staff develop their knowledge and skills. However, there is scope for even further development in some areas, to ensure that staff knowledge is at the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give the quieter and less confident children the support they need to always engage fully in their learning
• continue to build on the programme of staff training so that their knowledge is constantly improving to the highest level.